Apparatus for blow extrusion

ABSTRACT

THE INVENTION RELATES TO A METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BLOW-EXTRUDING A HOLLOW ARTICLE FROM A TH ERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL IN WHICH A PARISON IS EXTRUDED INTO A MOLD. LIGHT PRESSURE IS APPLIED TO SAID PARISON TO EXPAND A PORTION THEREOF BETWEEN THE EXTRUDER AND MOLD AND THIS PORTION IS GRIPPED TO FORM A FLANGE, WHICH SERVES TO LOCATE THE PARISON ON THE MOLD. THE PARISON IS THEN BLOWN TO FORM THE BODY.

Original Filed Aug. 2, 1967 W/Ak/ 1 Adiwmwg wm United States Patent 3,608,141 APPARATUS FOR BLOW EXTRUSION Pierre-Henri Gallay, Neuilly, France, assignor to Mecaplast S.A., Geneva, Switzerland Original application Aug. 2, 1967, Ser. No. 657,923,

now Patent No. 3,548,044. Divided and this application Nov. 6, 1969, Ser. No. 870,815 Claims priority, application France, Aug. 6, 1966,

U.S. Cl. 18-5BE 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention relates to a method and apparatus for blow-extruding a hollow article from a thermoplastic material in which a parison is extruded into a mold. Light pressure is applied to said parison to expand a portion thereof between the extruder and mold and this portion is gripped to form a flange, which serves to locate the parison on the mold. The parison is then blown to form the body.

This is a division of application, Ser. No. 657,923, filed Aug. 2, 1967, Pat. No. 3,548,044.

In the blow-extrusion of a hollow body of thermoplastic material, the tubular parison which is obtained at the outlet from the die is in many cases delivered vertically downwards, to use gravity to assist delivery. Now, if it is desired to form a hollow body having its opening facing upwardly, which is for example particularly advantageous when it is desired to form the bottom of a bottle in the least drawn out part of the parison or to carry out the direct filling of a flask during the operating cycle concerned with the moulding, it is necessary to locate the top of the parison at the upper part of the mould in order to avoid sagging of the said parison and the deformations which originate therefrom. The affects observed are shown in irregularities in the blowing, folds, and local doubling of the thickness and displacement of the material by the blowing nozzle, thus resulting in defective elements in a relatively high proportion resulting in losses.

A number of solutions have already been proposed, such as the extrusion of the parison with a diameter larger than that which is desired, this involving a nipping of the excess material in the planes of the joints of the different parts of the moulds, these jointing planes being then specially designed so as to effect the cutting of the excess of material thus eliminated. Suction arrangements have also been proposed, which ensure the positioning of the neck by a suction zone, closed by a grid or a porous device situated at the top of the mould.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a method of forming a neck on a hollow body prior to blow moulding, from a thermoplastic material, in which a tubular parison is extruded downwardly and introduced into a mould where it is subjected to blowing, in which, before detaching the parison from the extruder the parison is subjected to a light blowing, such as to expand that portion between the extruder and the upper part of the mould, and the said portion is gripped around at least a part of its periphery to form a flange to retain the parison on the mould. The invention also provides apparatus for carrying out the method such apparatus comprising an extruder having an extrusion head with an extrusion orifice "spaced above a mould, and gripping means located between the extrusion orifice and the upper part of the mould, such gripping means having a central space corresponding to the upper orifice of the mould, and such "ice gripping means having upstream jaws axially movable towards downstream jaws. v

With the method and apparatus of the invention perfect locating of the top of the parison may be achieved and hollow bodies may be obtained which have a regular non-welded neck of which the diameter can vary within large proportions without any difiiculty and without risk of the material sagging or collapsing, with a rate rate of manufacture and without accidental deformation, particularly during the positioning of the blow nozzle.

In order that the invention may more readily be understood, the following description is given, merely by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1 to 3 are axial sections through one embodiment of apparatus according to the invention, at three different stages of the method;

FIG. 4 is an axial section showing another embodiment of the apparatus;

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the control mechanism of the nipping device, and

FIG. 6 is a view of the arrangement according to the invention at the moment of carrying out the blowing operation.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, an extrusion die having a plunger and an air supply orifice 3 is placed vertically above a mould 4, 4', of which only the upper part in the zone of the neck and the lower part in the nipping zone for the parison are shown.

Arranged between the upper part of the mould and the die 1 is a nipping arrangement, which comprises a fixed plate 5 and two movable plates 6, 6, which are arranged to pivot about hinges 7 on the plate 5. These parts 6, 6' are recessed in their central portion so as to form a free orifice around the passage of the parison 8 with a fairly large clearance, which is for example between 0.2 and 1 mm.

As will be seen from FIG. 2, a gentle blowing through the orifice 3 swells the parison 8 and causes the formation of expanded portions 9, 9. The nipping devices 6, 6' (FIG. 3) then pivot about the hinges 7, and in turning, squeeze the portions 9, 9', thereby forming a flange.

At this stage, the parison can be detached from the nozzle, for example by the cutter 14, and the mould can be retracted so as to permit firstly a new extrusion cycle and secondly the blowing of the hollow body at another working station.

It is found that the opening of the parison is freed and permits the positioning of the blowing nozzle without danger of deformation, that the parison is stabilised without any danger of sagging, this resulting firstly from the pre-blowing and the partial swelling of the parison which results therefrom and secondly from the retention by nipping of the flange 9, 9.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the positioning arrangement comprises a plate or two half-plates 6, 6', which are adapted to slide parallel to the axis of the nozzle, while being guided by the vertical shafts 10.

FIG. 5 shows a method of mounting the plates 6, 6, which respectively carry engaging elements 16, 17 and which are driven by a jack 11 by means of the rod 10*.

As will be seen in FIG. 6, when the mould comprises a conical shoulder 12, the rigid fixing of the parison by the flange 9 permits the shaping of the parison by blowing, under improved conditions, the blowing nozzle 13 bearing on the shoulder 12.

If desired the fixed part of the nipping arrangement may be a part of the mould itself; it is also possible for the control means of this arrangement to be of a pneumatic, mechanical, electrical or magnetic type.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for blow-extruding a hollow body from thermoplastic material, such apparatus comprising:

(i) an extruder having an extrusion head;

(ii) an extrusion die on said extrusion head defining an annular extrusion orifice effective to extrude a tubular parison downwardly;

(iii) a mold located below and spaced from said extrusion die;

(iv) an upper surface to said mold;

(v) an upper orifice to said mold located coaxially below said extrusion orifice;

(vi) means defining a blowing aperture within said annular extrusion orifice and in said extrusion head;

(vii) gripping means having upstream and downstream jaws positioned between said extrusion head and said upper surface of said mold, said downstream jaws being in fixed position relating to said upper surface of said mold and said upstream jaws being axially movable towards and away from said downstream jaws;

(viii) a central aperture in said gripping means coaxial with said upper orifice of said mold; and

(ix) means for moving said upstream jaws downwardly towards said downstream jaws eflective to form a flange for holding the parison in the mold.

2. The apparatus defined in claim 1 in which two pivots are located on the upper portion of the mold on opposite sides of the upper orifice thereof and said gripping means comprise two plates pivotally mounted one on each pivot.

3. The apparatus defined in claim 2 in which the two plates are provided with cooperating means to ensure simultaneous operation.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 1 in which the gripping means comprise a single plate defining said central aperture.

References Cited US. Cl. X.R.

18-5BM, SBB, SBA 

